Sentencing delayed in SAU horse theft case MAGNOLIA (AP) — Sentencing has been delayed until December for a former Southern Arkansas University student who pleaded guilty to stealing horses from the school’s stables. Jaci Jackson pleaded guilty earlier this year to six counts of conspiracy to commit theft of property. Prosecutors claim that Jackson hatched a plan to steal the horses from the university, where she was on the rodeo team. The horses were discovered in Oklahoma — and one o...

Trial scheduled for Fort Smith man in shooting FORT SMITH (AP) — A January trial date has been set for a Fort Smith man charged in the shooting death of a woman as she rode in a van. Prosecutors say 24-year-old Jonathan Lewis Jackson shot into a van carrying seven people on Dec. 29, killing 21-year-old Aleya Criswell. Jackson has pleaded not guilty and remains jailed on $250,000 bond. The Times Record reported that Sebastian County Circuit Court Judge Michael Fitzhugh has scheduled Jackson...

Veterans home cited for 3rd time in 2013FAYETTEVILLE (AP) — Investigators cited the Arkansas State Veterans Home in Fayetteville for violating procedures for the third time this year — this time for a failure to treat a patient’s wound properly. Arkansas’ Office of Long Term Care said that, for several days in late September and early October, when the patient’s dressing was changed twice daily the skin would tear and the patient would bleed. Eventually the home changed the way it t...

Death penalty sought in Conway slaying CONWAY (AP) — Prosecutors say they’ll seek the death penalty against a Morrilton man accused of shooting a man to death at a Conway motel. At a hearing Wednesday, prosecutors said they will seek death for Lee Foster, who’s charged with capital murder in the June 16 shooting death of 23-year-old Quenton Alexander. Foster is also charged with first-degree battery after a second man was wounded in the shooting in the parking lot of a Motel 6. Aut...

US court won’t take up Mann bombing caseLITTLE ROCK — The U.S. Supreme Court indicated it won’t review the case of an Arkansas doctor sentenced to life in prison for plotting a bombing that nearly killed the chairman of the state’s medical board. The one-sentence denial was filed Wednesday in the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in the case of Randeep Mann. Mann asked the high court in June to consider his case, less than two months after he was sentenced to life in prison for the ...

Democrats ask for ethics probe of Tom CottonLITTLE ROCK (AP) — The Arkansas Democratic Party asked an outside congressional office to investigate whether U.S. Rep. Tom Cotton illegally solicited contributions for his Senate bid during a radio interview at the U.S. Capitol last month. The state party sent a complaint to the Office of Congressional Ethics over a Sept. 30 phone interview Cotton gave to talk radio host Hugh Hewitt. During the interview, Cotton said supporters could visit hi...

HP wraps up layoffs at Conway facility CONWAY (AP) — Hewlett-Packard Co. is wrapping up the layoffs at its Conway facility announced earlier this year. An HP official told the Log Cabin Democrat employees laid off this month were among the 500 who learned in July that they’d be losing their jobs. The company says there are no other “planned actions” for HP workers in Conway. With the layoffs, HP still employs about 800 people at its customer support center in Conway. The company ha...

Canner Allens files for bankruptcySILOAM SPRINGS (AP) — Arkansas-based Allens Inc. filed paperwork Monday seeking to reorganize its debts under federal bankruptcy laws and said it wants to sell what’s left of its frozen vegetables business so it can focus on canned goods. Allens listed debts of at least $100 million in its Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing, Arkansas Business reported Monday (http://bit.ly/1aBD7sq ). Such filings, once approved, let companies and individuals reorgan...

Former teacher given 10-year term for sex assaultLITTLE ROCK (AP) — An ex-teacher at an all-girls school who had been sentenced to four months in jail for having a sexual relationship with a student was sentenced to 10 years in prison Monday after admitting she ignored a judge’s order to not contact the teenager. Pulaski County Circuit Judge Barry Sims, who initially suspended nearly all of a 15-year prison term for sexual assault, told Kelly O’Rourke that he had to come down “pretty hard” o...

Clown accused of child porn pleads guilty FORT SMITH (AP) — A Fort Smith man who worked as a clown has pleaded guilty to receiving child pornography. The U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Arkansas announced Monday that 48-year-old Thomas Harold Morgan pleaded guilty to the charge. Authorities said Morgan used his computer to download a picture of a minor engaging in sexually explicit conduct. Morgan faces a minimum sentence of five years and a maximum sentence of 20 years. He ...

Lawyer: Man sentenced to death wins new trial LITTLE ROCK (AP) — An Arkansas man who was sentenced to death for a 1997 double slaying won a new trial Tuesday, his attorney said. Judge Charles Yeargan granted a new trial for Timothy Howard during a court appearance in Ashdown, according to one of Howard's attorneys, Patrick Benca. Yeargan's decision comes after Arkansas' highest court ordered a new hearing in the case last year. The state Supreme Court sided in part with Howard's attorneys...

Mountainburg man's 'Crawdad Song' brought fameMOUNTAINBURG (AP) — Despite never being a full-time musician, Harold "Red" Moore became an internationally known rockabilly artist who left behind the music scene and notoriety for a quiet life in Mountainburg. Moore, 80, was born Sept. 24, 1933, in Fort Madison, Iowa, to Harold and Laverne Moore, a welder/mechanic and beautician. The oldest of three children, Red developed an affinity for country music and Western stars on the silver screen. ...

Poll equally grim for GOP, DemsLITTLE ROCK (AP) — A two-term Democratic senator sees a drop in his approval numbers as he gears up for re-election, an increasing number of voters say they're worried the state is headed in the wrong direction and more of them are blaming Democrats than Republicans for the federal government shutdown. Time for Arkansas Republicans to pop open the champagne and celebrate, right? Not so fast. The latest figures from the University of Arkansas' ...

Volunteer group finds woman's body in Little Rock LITTLE ROCK (AP) — A group of volunteers picking up trash and debris along a city street in Little Rock has found the body of a woman. Police say officers were called shortly after 9 a.m. Saturday after members of St. Joseph Andrew's Church found the body in a wooded area near Kanis (KAY'-niss) Road. Police say the body is that of a black woman who appears to be between 25 and 40 years old. The body was sent to the state Crime Lab to determine...

Wildlife officer honored for heroism in flooding LITTLE ROCK (AP) — The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission is honoring the heroism of a wildlife officer who died May 31 during flooding in western Arkansas. The panel on Thursday posthumously awarded Joel Campora the Wildlife Officer of the Year Award. His wife was presented the flag that was flown in Waldron at her husband’s funeral. The couple had two children. Campora died with Scott County Sheriff Cody Carpenter as they tried to rescue two ...

Ross calls for tax cut for manufacturers LITTLE ROCK (AP) — Democratic gubernatorial hopeful Mike Ross on Thursday called for the gradual reduction in the tax that Arkansas manufacturers pay for repairing or partly replacing machinery, calling it a cut that would reward long-time businesses in the state. The former congressman proposed phasing out nearly all of the tax over time and said the law unfairly punishes manufacturers already in the state. Ross estimates that eliminating the...

Fayetteville AD accused of internet stalking FAYETTEVILLE (AP) — The athletic director at Fayetteville High School has been placed on paid administrative leave after his arrest this week on a felony charge of internet stalking of a child. Authorities accused Barry Gebhart, 50, of attempting to set up a sexual encounter with a detective posing online as a 14-year-old girl. Gebhart was arrested Tuesday after he arrived at a Rogers shopping mall for a meeting set up by undercover officers, ...

Missing plane sought in Ouachita National Forest FORT SMITH (AP) — Authorities in eastern Oklahoma are searching for a plane that disappeared while flying from Arkansas to Oklahoma. LeFlore County Sheriff Rob Seale told the Times Record on Wednesday that search crews are looking in a heavily wooded area of the Ouachita National Forest in southeastern Oklahoma. Seale says the search began Tuesday after the Federal Aviation Administration contacted the sheriff’s department and said 71-year-old...

Cookie dough production facility to come to stateSPRINGDALE (AP) — A wholesale manufacturer of frozen bakery products announced Wednesday that it will open a production facility in northwest Arkansas, creating 150 jobs. The Arkansas Economic Development Commission and South Coast Baking Company said in a news release that the Irvine, Calif.-based company plans to open a facility in Springdale that will produce frozen cookie dough for food retailers. The company is investing nearly $8.7 milli...

Mars Petcare to expand Fort Smith pet food plant FORT SMITH (AP) — Mars Petcare has announced plans for a $50 million expansion of its pet food plant in Fort Smith. The Times Record reported Wednesday that construction has begun and production is expected to begin during winter. The expansion is also expected to lead to 42 additional jobs at the plant that already has about 125 employees. The Fort Smith plant produces Cesar Canine Cuisine in addition to pet food for private label brands. Pla...